Rule number one: Stand on the right on the escalator at Waterloo. It’s not a suggestion; it’s the law of the jungle. Rule number two: Don’t block the doors at Clapham Junction. People will exit like they’re fleeing a burning building. It’s efficient, but terrifying.
Also, embrace the chaos. During peak hours, you’ll be packed in like sardines in a tin. It’s oddly bonding. You’ll share a moment of mutual understanding with a stranger: “Yes, this is madness. Yes, we are all here for it.”
A Little History (The Fun Kind)
Did you know this route opened in 1848? That’s before the invention of the lightbulb. People in top hats and hoop skirts used to ride these rails. You are literally following in the footsteps of Victorian ghosts. Spooky.
And Clapham Junction wasn’t always a junction—it was just fields. Now it’s a concrete cat’s cradle of tracks. Progress is weird and wonderful.
